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Mush issues ordinance
Pak’s N-weapons secure, says US
My job is in danger: Musharraf look-alike
Pak urges C’wealth to defer decision
on suspension
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PM’s proposals for better India-ASEAN ties
Trashed painting sells for $ 1 m
Seeks European support for Nalanda varsity
Anand Jon indicted on sex charges
Imran Khan released
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Mush issues ordinance
President Gen Pervez Musharraf today issued a ordinance declaring as valid the imposition of emergency and promulgation of the Provisional Constitution Order (PAC) amid reports of an imminent announcement on both issues. Musharraf suddenly cut short his trip to Saudi Arabia and returned here early morning. He presided over an emergent meeting of top aides and legal advisers before issuing the fresh decree. Sources said he had decided to bow down to growing domestic agitation and intense pressure from the USA and European allies to lift the emergency. The decree is ostensibly intended to offset legal challenges to his November 3 proclamation and subsequent decisions. The newly constituted Supreme Court is currently hearing petitions against emergency and the PCO. The court itself has been constituted under the PCO after Musharraf purged it of a dozen independent judges and named eight of his men on the Bench. The judges were made to take oath of allegiance to the PCO and not to pass any ruling against it. To protect all acts and laws enacted under the emergency proclamation, Musharraf further decreed on Wednesday that these shall be deemed to have been validly made and cannot be questioned in any court of law. This was his first amendment in the emergency law purported to excluding court’s jurisdiction on both issues. His rival candidate, retired Justice Wajihuddin Ahmed termed the new decree as another ludicrous and illegal act, saying the army chief or the President has no authority to impose martial law or amend the Constitution. He said the Supreme Court’s powers to review any law or act cannot be abridged. The emergency was imposed by Musharraf as General Musharraf Chief of Army Staff. But last week he “transferred” this authority to President General Musharraf, ostensibly taking away this “right” from his designated successor Gen. Ashfaq Kiani once he hands the army command over to him. He is likely to take oath on November 23 as civilian president for a fresh five-year term.
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Pak’s N-weapons secure, says US
Washington, November 21 Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said from a military perspective, there had not been any impact of the declaration of Emergency on November 3 in Pakistan and US operations in Afghanistan. Admiral Mullen said military contacts with Pakistan was ongoing and that there was no problem with that country’s nuclear weapons. “We still have our military-to-military contacts (with Pakistan). I’ve been asked... previously about the security of the nuclear weapons. I see no indication that that’s a problem,” he said. “From a military standpoint, I haven’t seen a significant effect,” the top military official said in response to a query on the impact of the Pakistan Emergency on the US mission in Afghanistan. Mullen was asked to look at the worst-case scenario in Pakistan where the nuclear weapons fell into the wrong hands and if Washington had any options. “I try not to spend much time speculating on what-ifs. But certainly, part of the understanding of where we are with respect to those weapons is ensuring that they are secure, and being mindful and watchful of that,” Mullen said. Meanwhile, describing Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf as ‘a man of his word’, US President George W Bush has expressed confidence that the military ruler will follow his advice to end Emergency in the country. Bush also put to rest the apprehensions of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal falling into the hands of Islamic radicals. “He (Musharraf) made a decision, we did not necessarily agree with his decision, to impose Emergency rule, and hopefully he will get rid of the rule”, Bush told ABC News in an interview. Bush said he certainly hopes that Musharraf was going to end up getting Pakistan back on the road to democracy. — PTI
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My job is in danger: Musharraf look-alike
Islamabad, November 21 Khan, who hosts the popular “Hum Sab Umeed Sai Hain” show for Geo, joined the protesting journalists last night, saying “Meri naukri khatre main hain (My job is in danger).” “Hum Sab…” is a political satire in which Khan mimics the President, appearing in military fatigues while indulging in all sorts of capers. — PTI
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Pak urges C’wealth to defer decision
on suspension
Islamabad, November 21 In a letter written to heads of governments of the countries that are members of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG), caretaker Prime Minister Mohammedmian Soomro has said the “political situation in Pakistan was returning to normalcy”. The CMAG, which comprises foreign ministers of nine countries, including Britain, has told Musharraf that Pakistan will be suspended from the Commonwealth if he does not end the emergency, shed his uniform and free jailed activists by November 22. The Commonwealth Foreign Ministers’ meeting is being held at Kampala in Uganda and the CMAG’s decision on whether to suspend Pakistan will be known by tomorrow. —
PTI
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PM’s proposals for better
India-ASEAN ties
Singapore, November 21
In his statement at the 6th India-ASEAN summit here, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh proposed the setting up of an India-ASEAN network on climate change that would pool and share expertise, exchange best practices and submit recommendations for common positions taking into account national priorities. “To give boost to this cooperation, I propose to set up an India-ASEAN Green Fund with an initial contribution of $ 5 million of pilot projects to promote adaptation and mitigation technologies”, he said. Dr Manmohan Singh invited other countries to make contributions as well after the establishment of the fund. Expressing satisfaction at the achievement of the bilateral trade target of $ 30 billion that was set for 2007, the Prime Minister asked the ASEAN leaders to set the bilateral trade target of $ 50 billion by year 2010. To facilitate this, we should agree on a process to simplify the visa regime for businessmen to travel from India to ASEAN and vice-versa, he said. He proposed that the authorities of both in consultation with industry representatives formulate a simple criteria for the issue of visas to bona fide businessmen the same day. The Prime Minister laid emphasis on promoting people to people contacts and proposed that a special programme for regular exchanges among parliamentarians of India and ASEAN. He said if the India-ASEAN process was to take roots, it must become a peoples’ movement and urged setting up a target of one million tourists arrivals from ASEAN to India by year 2010. At present, 280,000 tourists from ASEAN were coming to India, while Indian tourists to this region had touched two million, he pointed out. The Prime Minister stressed on promoting and intensifying connectivity between the two. He said cooperation in the area of health had only been on the challenge posed by avian influenza. He went on to propose that the India-ASEAN Working Group dealing with health be directed to prepare a “India-ASEAN Health Care Initiative”. The focus would be on providing basic drugs at a low cost to our public health systems through steps such as joint production of medical formulations, Dr Manmohan Singh said.
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Trashed painting sells for $ 1 m
New York, November 21 ''Tres personajes" ("Three People"), a 1970 work by Rufino Tamayo, one of Mexico's best known artists, was yesterday bagged by a telephone bidder for $ 1,049,000. It had been saved from the garbage by Elizabeth Gibson, who spotted the work while out walking one morning in 2003. "It was a Saturday morning. I went out for a coffee at seven. I saw it on the sidewalk among black plastic garbage bags," she told AFP ahead of the sale. "I passed my way and had coffee, but a voice inside kept telling me to go back and take the painting. So I stopped reading my book and went back and took the painting, which had a very bad frame but was in perfect condition." The work, with bold strokes of red, purple and yellow, was bought by a Texas couple in 1977 who put it in storage while they moved house. They noticed the painting was missing in 1987 when picking up their belongings at the warehouse. —
AFP
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Seeks European support for Nalanda varsity
Singapore, November 21 In his address in the company of Asean leaders, the Prime Minister referred to the plan to recreate a unique international institution and preserving a common cultural heritage at the ancient site of Nalanda and sought support of the European Union leaders in making the initiative a success.
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Harare, November 21 Smith died yesterday at a clinic near Cape Town, where he spent his final years, according to longtime friend Sam Whaley. He had been ailing for some time and recently suffered a stroke. — AP
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Anand Jon indicted on sex charges
New York, November 21 Anand Jon Alexander, who has worked with several celebrities, was charged with rape, aggravated sexual abuse and related crimes. Several of the alleged victims came to Alexander looking for modelling or other job opportunities. A judge in California had set a bail for $2.1 million, but the New York District attorney has sent an arrest warrant seeking his continued detention even if he posts the bail, the prosecutors said. Alexander has denied the charges in Los Angeles, but a media report quoting his attorneys said they have not seen the New York indictment as yet. — PTI
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